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Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues: True Stories of the Unsavory, Unwise, Unorthodox and Unusual from the magazine "Morbid Curiosity"
by
Loren Rhoads (Goodreads Author)
For ten years, "Morbid Curiosity" was a one-of-a-kind underground magazine that gained a devoted following for its celebration of absurd, grotesque, and unusual tales -- all true -- submitted from contributors around the country and across the world. Loren Rhoads, creator and editor of the magazine, has compiled some of her favorite stories from all ten issues in...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
September 29th 2009
by Scribner
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Hannah
rated it
Recommends it for:
Readers of the perverse, weird and disgusting
Recommended to Hannah by:
Good Reads win
Shelves:
non-fiction
I want it on the record that this was a Good Reads win - lol.
Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues is a compillation of over 40 short stories and articles (classified as non-fiction) culled from the editions of Morbid Curiosity magazine (which in my sheltered world I have never heard of). The cover title tells the reader immediately what to expect, and it doesn't lie, so you have been warned (i.e. True Stories of the Unsavory, Unwise, Unorthodix and Unusual).
Some of the topics...more
Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues is a compillation of over 40 short stories and articles (classified as non-fiction) culled from the editions of Morbid Curiosity magazine (which in my sheltered world I have never heard of). The cover title tells the reader immediately what to expect, and it doesn't lie, so you have been warned (i.e. True Stories of the Unsavory, Unwise, Unorthodix and Unusual).
Some of the topics...more
I love the macabre, the morbid, the dark, the stories that my sisters decide are just a little too strange for them. It would come of no surprise to them that this is a book I chose to read. They've seen me read things with worse titles.
But this book affected me more than some of the other things I've read, mostly because these stories are true while much of what I read is fiction. The stories in this book range from entertaining (a story of one girl's search for a good high in Asia) ...more
But this book affected me more than some of the other things I've read, mostly because these stories are true while much of what I read is fiction. The stories in this book range from entertaining (a story of one girl's search for a good high in Asia) ...more
Allison
rated it
Puppies, kittens, and sun-dappled meadows! Maypoles and pastels! I suspect that a substantial amount of the enjoyment I derived from this book is rooted in the fact that I spent a decent chunk of it thinking to myself, "Wow, I'm not that maladjusted." This was when I wasn't thinking, "Wow, I'm not that open-minded," or "Wow, this is profound/funny/gross/etc." These thoughts were peppered by the occasional shrug/sigh at the rare encounter with the sillier/more preten...more
This was terribly disappointing. The annoyances were numerous including, but not limited to:
- The format of the book - It's printed in newspaper type with two columns per page as if it were still a zine. It makes reading it difficult.
- The introduction - This is printed as in a regular book and starts out okay, but quickly devolves into self-congratulatory drivel. Yes, yes, you are the coolest, gothest ever. We all bow to your amazingness.
- The writing - A...more
- The format of the book - It's printed in newspaper type with two columns per page as if it were still a zine. It makes reading it difficult.
- The introduction - This is printed as in a regular book and starts out okay, but quickly devolves into self-congratulatory drivel. Yes, yes, you are the coolest, gothest ever. We all bow to your amazingness.
- The writing - A...more
I won a copy of this book in a competition on Facebook run by Morbid Curiosity’s editor and publisher, Loren Rhoads, and it introduced me to a magazine and a group of writers that I might never have read or heard of otherwise. The only writer I had had any previous acquaintance with was Mehitobel Wilson as we appeared in an anthology together.
The cover advertises the contents as ‘true stories of the unsavory, unwise, unorthodox, and unusual’ and I was immediately hooked. But I saved up re...more
The cover advertises the contents as ‘true stories of the unsavory, unwise, unorthodox, and unusual’ and I was immediately hooked. But I saved up re...more
Robert Beveridge
rated it
Loren Rhoads (ed.), Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues (Simon and Schuster, 2009)
One of my favorite books of the nineties was Apocalypse Culture, the Adam Parfrey-edited compendium of the weird and wonderful. I'd never found another book quite like it, and while Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues doesn't entirely qualify, it's about the closest I've seen in the past couple of decades, and that's good enough for me.
This is a collection of personal essays (for the most part) th...more
One of my favorite books of the nineties was Apocalypse Culture, the Adam Parfrey-edited compendium of the weird and wonderful. I'd never found another book quite like it, and while Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues doesn't entirely qualify, it's about the closest I've seen in the past couple of decades, and that's good enough for me.
This is a collection of personal essays (for the most part) th...more
I confess: I could not finish this disgusting and/or disturbing book. I found a couple of articles to have redeeming qualities, but I felt most of the authors needed serious therapy. I read most of the book but got bored and at some point nauseated. I guess there is a market for this fare, but it is not for me. Sorry. Think I will go back to reading true crime books for some light reading. I gave it one star for the two articles I liked (more or less).
as dana below said: "While I've not picked up the actual book yet, I've read (and own) all the Morbid Curiosity magazines these essays were pulled from to create this book. I give my five star rating with confidence and can't to buy the book!"
exactly the same situation here!
exactly the same situation here!
view 2 comments
While I've not picked up the actual book yet, I've read (and own) all the Morbid Curiosity magazines these essays were pulled from to create this book. I give my five star rating with confidence and can't to buy the book!
Katrina
is currently reading it
Lately I've not been reading essay collections all the way through, but picking them up and reading an essay or two now and then, so this book is likely to be on my "currently reading" shelf for some time.
This collection of articles from "Morbid Curiosity" magazine is an interesting read, though I don't feel any particular urge to buy it or reread it. Definitely not for young readers.
I had never heard of the magazine Morbid Curiosity before picking up this book, but now I wish I had. The sample of odd essays I found in this volume made me want more. I kept imagining the odd things from my life that I would write about if Morbid Curiosity was still being published. Topics in this book range from exploring a Nazi concentration camp to finding your landlord dead to offering up your body for a medical experiment that removes 2/3 of your blood and replaces it with saline solut...more
This book is not for everyone. If you do not enjoy bizarre tales, then I suggest you don't read it. I, however, enjoyed this book.
I think I'm allowed to give this five stars...
A fun, fast read. And a good representation of the magazine as a whole (which a decent collection should be)!
Some stories were well-written, while others weren't so great...but overall very interesting.
This book rocks! It's very strange and fun and I recommend it.
Some good stories here, but also some that surprised me by making the cut. If this book is supposed to reflect the best of Morbid Curiosity magazine, I'm not rushing to eBay to scrounge up back issues.
I never got to see the magazine this collection is based on, but it sounds right up my alley. Some excellent essays.
A treasure trove of odd and provocative practices and pursuits.
A great compilation of short stories... all true, unfortunately. This book covers the gamut of all things disturbing. From waking up in surgery, to experiencing a Black Mass for the first time, this book opens you up to new worlds and experiences... most that I wouldn't want to try first hand.
Fox
marked it as to-read
myswtghst
is currently reading it
Paige
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Allison
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Raychel Grimm
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Loren's new project is a blog about visiting cemeteries called CemeteryTravel.com. Her book of cemetery travel essays called WISH YOU WERE HERE will be out in March. For 10 years, Loren edited the cult nonfiction magazine Morbid Curiosity. MORBID CURIOSITY CURES THE BLUES, drawn from the magazine, came from Scribner in 2009. Her fiction darkens the four-woman anthology SINS OF THE SIRENS, as wel...more
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“Curiosity is the single most important attribute with which humans are born. More than a simple desire to discover or know things, curiosity is a powerful tool, like a scalpel or a searchlight. Curiosity changes us. It is also a way to effect change, perhaps even on a global level.”
—
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